I lived in Vallejo California for 25 years. I fished San Pablo Bay, Napa River, Sacramento River, Delta and in between for Sturgeon and Stripers. My largest Sturgeon was 5 Foot 2 Inch. Small compared to some caught that I saw. Sturgeon fishing in California was on and off. Best fishing was after a good rain storm when fresh water would drive the junk fish and crabs towards the San Francisco Bay. California Sturgeon fishing was never as good as it Sturgeon fishing in Oregon and Washington. California always had a lower limit and an upper limit on keeper sizes. In the 70's you could keep anything above 36 inches, then 40 inches and then 48 inches. In the 90's they finally applied an upper limit of 72 inches thus giving you a window of keepers between 48 and 72 inches. Sturgeon don't start to spawn until they reach about 6 foot so in the early days in California fisherman were keeping the larger fish that were full of eggs. Oregon and Washington always had that window so the Sturgeon population there is large. Sturgeon are caught in the Columbia River and Snake River in Idaho although in Idaho you can't keep Sturgeon. It's strickly catch and release so Sturgeon in Idaho are huge.

Sturgeon is an excellent eating fish. All white meat, no bones and thick fillets.

Submit your fishing reports.

I failed to mention that the world record for a Sturgeon caught on a Rod and Reel is 468 Lbs. That was caught in the Carquinez Straits at the mouth of the Napa River in Vallejo California.

Also, Sturgeon are protected on the East Coast. They have been seen jumping in some rivers and a couple taken illegaly in the past. It would be tough to fish for them on the East Coast because there is too much compatition for the bait on the bottom. Sturgeon like to lay on the bait on the bottom and suck on it before picking up and running with it.

A big hook with a great big gob of worms works really good, use about ten worms. Worms are very cheap you can find them under any mulch pile or if you have good soil you can go out at night time with a flashlight and look for nightcrawlers, but be careful to grab them with a firm grip and don't jerk, just pull nice and slow, we do that all the time when we go to my Grandpa and Grandma's house, or you can just buy some nightcrawlers. Get a heavy weight fishing rod and a baitcasting reel with about 30 to 50 pound line, hook on a big sinker about three feet in front of the hook and let it drop in a deep hole(don't cast it) then prop up your rod and wait for a bite, you might want to bring a smaller fishing pole along so you can fish for some other fish while your waiting.
Or just bring a good book, no game boys or anything like that because that just ruins your time out fishing.

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Bass Fly Fishing